A New Hampshire commission charged with preparing legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis through a system of state-run stores heard testimony from leaders of the state’s medical marijuana program on Thursday, during a meeting that at times was marked by visible impatience and frustration.
The bulk of the meeting centered on a presentation by Michael Holt, administrator of the state’s Therapeutic Cannabis Program, and Patricia Tilley, director of the state Health and Human Services Department’s Division of Public Health Services. The pair were ostensibly invited to provide input on how New Hampshire should handle medical marijuana regulation if it also legalizes broader recreational sales to adults.
Holt began by describing the state’s current medical marijuana system as “a maturing but vulnerable program,” noting that many of New Hampshire’s neighbors have legalized for both medical and adult use, and in some cases prices are much lower.
“We regulate a product and industry that is impacted by a rapidly evolving recreational cannabis regional market with a patchwork of different state regulations,” he told the panel. “We know that access to cannabis, both therapeutic and recreational, is oftentimes easier and more affordable across our borders.”
Most states that legalize adult-use marijuana, he said, see patient registrations decline by an average of 31 percent. Among many reasons why, he explained, “patients will choose to self-medicate,…
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